As part of its West Coast tour, Greenpeace's new flagship Rainbow Warrior arrives in San Francisco Bay, where it will be open for public tours on Pier 15.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

As part of its West Coast tour, Greenpeace's new flagship Rainbow...

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A sign in the galley shows support for the Arctic 30, Greenpeace members who were arrested for scaling a Russia oil rig, during a tour of GreenpeaceÕs new flagship the Rainbow Warrior, while it is docked at Pier 15 in San Francisco, CA Saturday, November 9, 2013, as it makes a stop on it's U.S. West Coast tour.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

A sign in the galley shows support for the Arctic 30, Greenpeace...

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during a tour of Greenpeaceâ??s new flagship the Rainbow Warrior, while it is docked at Pier 15 in San Francisco, CA Saturday, November 9, 2013, as it makes a stop on it's U.S. West Coast tour.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

during a tour of Greenpeaceâ??s new flagship the Rainbow Warrior,...

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Greenpeace Forrest Campaigner Joao Talocchi wears a tiger costume as he tells guests about tropical rainforest deforestation due to Palm Oil farming during a tour of GreenpeaceÕs new flagship the Rainbow Warrior, while it is docked at Pier 15 in San Francisco, CA Saturday, November 9, 2013, as it makes a stop on it's U.S. West Coast tour.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Greenpeace Forrest Campaigner Joao Talocchi wears a tiger costume...

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Guests visit GreenpeaceÕs new flagship the Rainbow Warrior, while it is docked at Pier 15 in San Francisco, CA Saturday, November 9, 2013, as it makes a stop on it's U.S. West Coast tour.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Guests visit GreenpeaceÕs new flagship the Rainbow Warrior, while...

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Captain Joel Stewart stands for a portrait on the deck of GreenpeaceÕs new flagship the Rainbow Warrior, while it is docked at Pier 15 in San Francisco, CA Saturday, November 9, 2013.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Captain Joel Stewart stands for a portrait on the deck of...

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Greenpeace's new flagship the Rainbow Warrior arrived in San Francisco Bay as part of its U.S. West Coast tour, in San Francisco, CA Friday, November 8, 2013.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Greenpeace's new flagship the Rainbow Warrior arrived in San...

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Crew members take down a banner on Greenpeace's new flagship the Rainbow Warrior as it arrived in San Francisco Bay as part of its U.S. West Coast tour, in San Francisco, CA Friday, November 8, 2013.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Crew members take down a banner on Greenpeace's new flagship the...

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Greenpeace's new flagship the Rainbow Warrior arrived in San Francisco Bay on part of its U.S. West Coast tour, in San Francisco, CA Friday, November 8, 2013.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Greenpeace's new flagship the Rainbow Warrior arrived in San...

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Guests take a tour of GreenpeaceÕs new flagship the Rainbow Warrior, while it is docked at Pier 15 in San Francisco, CA Saturday, November 9, 2013, as it makes a stop on it's U.S. West Coast tour.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Guests take a tour of GreenpeaceÕs new flagship the Rainbow...

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Sylvia Nobbmann of Germany takes a picture during a tour of GreenpeaceÕs new flagship the Rainbow Warrior, while it is docked at Pier 15 in San Francisco, CA Saturday, November 9, 2013, as it makes a stop on it's U.S. West Coast tour.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

Sylvia Nobbmann of Germany takes a picture during a tour of...

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A crew member on Greenpeace's new flagship the Rainbow Warrior, stands at the stern deck as the ship arrives in San Francisco Bay as part of its U.S. West Coast tour, in San Francisco, CA Friday, November 8, 2013.

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

A crew member on Greenpeace's new flagship the Rainbow Warrior,...

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Guests walk up the gangway as they take a tour of GreenpeaceÕs new flagship the Rainbow Warrior, while it is docked at Pier 15 in San Francisco, CA Saturday, November 9, 2013, as it makes a stop on it's U.S. West Coast tour.

America's Cup yachts? Cruise ships? Forget all that. The big attraction Sunday along San Francisco's waterfront was the world's most famous "hippie ship."

Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior, the floating, green-hued hub for environmental activism, pulled into Pier 15 Friday and will remain through Nov. 19, open for free public tours, art shows, films, panel discussions and live music.

Up to 900 people a day are expected to visit the boat, made famous by a 1985 incident off the coast of New Zealand when the French bombed - and sank - its predecessor, the first Rainbow Warrior, during a nuclear weapons protest.

The new Rainbow Warrior (actually, the third overall) is a $33 million, custom-built sailboat outfitted with a helipad, and unique A-frame masts that give the boat stability and allow it to derive 90 percent of its power from the wind. It's designed to accommodate up to 32 crew members as they circle the globe blocking oil tankers, protesting deforestation and taking up other environmental crusades.

The job is not without its hazards. Its sister ship, the Arctic Sunrise, saw its crew of about 30 arrested in September by the Russian Coast Guard and imprisoned in Murmansk, awaiting trial for piracy after the crew attempted to string a protest banner across a Russian oil rig. They face 15 years in jail if convicted.